Hope this feeling lasts (For the rest of my life)
by thegirl20
Summary: Ruby thinks about what 'home' means to her during the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner. (Red Queen)


A shrill beeping noise inserts itself into Ruby's consciousness. Alarm clocks are not designed to be kind to werewolf ears and she lets out a groan, burrowing her head further into the pillow to get away from the intrusion. The warm mass pressed against her front shifts a little and the sound is gone. A hand pats at her arm.

"C'mon. I need to get up."

"Mmmmnot yet," Ruby grumbles, tightening her arms. "Five minutes." She presses a kiss to the back of Regina's neck, enjoying warm, soft skin against her lips. "I'll let you go in five minutes. I promise."

She feels the sigh Regina lets out, but she knows it's mostly for show as Regina settles back into her, her arms covering Ruby's own. After all, if she really wanted to get up, she could just poof herself downstairs. So Ruby knows better. Today is Thanksgiving it's kind of a big deal. It's the first big 'family' dinner that Regina has prepared and Ruby knows she's nervous about it, even though she'd never say it out loud.

"Fine," Regina concedes. "Five minutes. But then I'm getting up."

"I'll get up too," Ruby says, trailing her lips across Regina's shoulder and back again, burying her nose in Regina's neck and inhaling her scent.

"I'll believe that when I see it." Ruby can hear the smile in her words. "You can stay in bed a little longer. I have things to get ready and I could do with the quiet."

Ruby slides a hand inside Regina's pyjama top, splaying her fingers over Regina's firm abdomen. Even though Regina catches her hand to stop it moving further, she can't hide her body's reactions, and certainly not from Ruby. She can hear her heart speed up, feel the tiny goosepimples that race across Regina's skin, see the flush creeping up her neck and smell her excitement. All that's left is to taste…

"Ruby," Regina whines. "I...we can't. Not this morning...I have things to do." But she's already turning and seeking out more contact. Ruby's hand slides to her back and scratches gently down, rolling them over so that Regina is on top of her.

"I'll help," she says, lifting her head for a chaste kiss. "It'll take half the time."

"Or double," Regina argues, but the creases between her eyes soften when Ruby pouts and she rakes her hands through Ruby's tangled hair. She rolls her eyes. "Fine."

Ruby laughs up at Regina. "Well, you don't have to sound so thrilled about it, Your Majesty. I might just start to worry that the magic has gone from our relationship."

"Oh, there's no danger of that, dear," Regina assures her. Her eyes glow purple and Ruby sucks in a breath in anticipation of whatever's about to happen. "I'm sure that, between us, we have magic enough to keep things interesting for quite a while yet."

* * *

"I'm completely behind schedule now," Regina grumbles as she finishes drying her her hair. Ruby watches from her position on the bed. Her own hair is wrapped in a towel, but she's stark naked otherwise. The shared shower had been her idea - to save time. It hadn't quite worked out that way. She grins.

"But hey, now you're completely relaxed and you can concentrate on the rest of the day without feeling the need to ravish me. So really I did you a favour."

This earns her a glare and she bites her lip to keep from laughing. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she gets up and moves to stand behind Regina, hands on the shorter woman's hips. She catches her eye in the mirror and smiles.

"Hey, it's no big deal, okay?" she murmurs. "We're having some family and friends over for dinner. You're a great cook."

Regina closes her eyes, tilting her head against Ruby's cheek and pulling her arms so that they're around her waist.

"I know," she says. "It's just...I'd like things to go smoothly. It's the first time we've had everyone over to our home on an occasion and I...I just want it to go well."

Ruby's heart swells when she hears the words 'our home' coming from Regina's mouth. Home has always been an odd concept for her. She's not sure she's ever felt completely at home. Maybe when she was little. When, home was her Granny's cottage. Her memories of being a child are pretty happy. The cottage was always warm and Granny always had a pot of something over the fire so they never went hungry. Granny, while brusque and matter-of-fact, was always there with a story or with a salve for a skinned knee or something sweet when the boys from the village were being mean. Maybe she felt at home back then. She smiles and pecks Regina's cheek.

"Everything will be amazing," she decides, punctuating her statement with a squeeze to Regina's waist. "And I'll eat anyone who says otherwise."

This draws a laugh from Regina and she shakes her head, tapping on Ruby's arms as a signal she wants to move. Ruby lets her go and retreats to watch Regina finish up her grooming routine. The Mayor is wearing jeans and a t-shirt and Ruby loves to see her so casual. She'll change for dinner, of course, but right now she looks soft and adorable and Ruby feels privileged to see it.

"Wake Henry when you're passing," Regina says as she heads out of the room. Her eyes drift down Ruby's body and back up. "But put some clothes on first."

And she's gone. Ruby sighs and untangles her hair from the towel and attempts to get a brush through it. Her thoughts once again turn to her childhood in the Enchanted Forest. As she grew up, of course, things started to change. The cottage that had been her cosy, welcoming home, started to feel like her prison. Granny was constantly asking her where she was going and what she was doing.

And then came the lockdowns. 'Wolfstime' had never factored into their lives until Ruby was a teenager, then suddenly she had to be shut away three nights a month for 'her own safety'. She hated it. The walls of her bedroom used to feel like they were moving in, pushing the air of out the small space. She had to get out and it had nothing to do with her wolf side. She needed air, room to move around, freedom. She understands, now, that Granny was just trying to protect her. But at the time, she resented her and her disapproving looks every time Ruby came home from the village. As if she was constantly up to no good. In reality, a few stolen kisses and abstract discussions were all she shared with Peter.

Poor Peter. He didn't stand a chance. Not when Granny took such care to conceal Ruby's true nature from everyone. She closes her eyes and tries to picture his bright smile and rosy cheeks, instead of the scene of carnage he became. It's not easy, once you've literally destroyed the object of your affection, to open yourself back up to the possibility of love. Of course, she didn't think she'd end up falling for Regina of all people. But the heart wants what it wants. And Ruby's heart beats only for Regina.

Who will most likely crush said heart if she doesn't move her ass downstairs and help out with dinner preparations. She leaves her hair to dry naturally and throws on a pair of running shorts and a plaid shirt, hurriedly fastening a few of the buttons. As an afterthought, she grabs a pair of thick socks and tugs them on as she hops out onto the landing. She focuses her hearing on Henry's bedroom and smiles when his soft snoring filters through. When he's awake, she sometimes has to hum quite loudly when passing his closed door. He is a teenage boy after all. She bangs three times on the door and then opens it, poking her head in to find him blinking and confused. Poor kid.

"Your mother wants you downstairs to help with the preparations for dinner," Ruby tells him once he's managed to get one eye to focus on her, the other is squeezed shut.

"Dinner? But it's the middle of the night. And it's a holiday!"

He has a point. The poor boy works hard at school and on his homework to maintain the stellar grades that make his mothers proud. She takes pity on him. "Fine, I'll cover for you. But I'm coming back up in an hour, so make the most of it."

The covers are already over his head, but she hears a mumbled 'thank you, Ruby'. She shakes her head with a smile and closes his door, padding along the hallway and down the stairs. She can hear chopping noises coming from the kitchen and that's where she heads. That's where the coffee machine is, after all. Regina doesn't look up as she enters.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"Uhhhh, this was absolutely your idea," Ruby corrects, grabbing her favourite mug from the cupboard. "I was happy enough to let Mary Margaret do Thanksgiving like every other year. It was you who said-" And here she pauses, arranging her face into an approximation of Regina's best haughty smile, and lowers her voice a notch or two. "'No, dear, I believe it's my turn to host a family celebration. You shall all come to my mansion and partake in my perfectly planned party...pre-... what's another 'p' word?"

"I don't speak like that," Regina protests, still not lifting her head. "I'm relatively certain no-one speaks like that."

"Yeah, well, I was paraphrasing. And it's still not my fault," Ruby says, hopping up onto the counter with her coffee, swinging her legs back and forth as she watches Regina move to the stove to lift some lids and then stir something.

"It's your fault that I even have anyone to invite over besides Henry," Regina huffs, laying her wooden spoon down.

Ruby frowns, her uncaffeinated brain not quite at its usual speed. "So, wait...is that an insult or-"

"Just stop trying to apportion blame and help me."

"You were the one blam-"

"What are you wearing?" It seems Regina has finally looked at her and finds her outfit lacking.

"Well, I'm not gonna wear it to dinner, obviously," Ruby says, glancing down at her bare legs.

Regina sighs, though Ruby catches the flaring of her pupils as her eyes trail downwards. But Regina shakes her head. "I'm already behind schedule. I do not need any more distractions."

Ruby bites her lip. "Ah, so that's the problem, huh? My outfit is distracting you?"

"Just...stir this." A bowl and wooden spoon are thrust into her arms and she stifles a laugh at Regina's flushed cheeks and manic expression.

"You know, you could just use your mag-"

"No, I can't," Regina tells her, firmly. "And you know why."

She does know why. It's because while Mary Margaret was insisting on coming over to help with dinner, Emma interjected that Regina would be able to serve a banquet with a wave of her hand and that she doesn't need Mary Margaret's help with that. Of course, Regina's back had straightened and her eyes flashed with danger as she told Emma, in no uncertain terms, that their Thanksgiving meal would be cooked from scratch with Regina's own fair hands. A decision that Ruby's pretty sure Regina has regretted ever since.

Hopping down from the counter, Ruby saunters over to where Regina is eyeing the uncooked turkey in apprehension. "I wouldn't tell anyone," Ruby whispers. "It would be our secret."

For a second, it looks like Regina's resolve might be wavering. But then her eyes narrow and Ruby knows they're both going to be in this kitchen for the foreseeable future.

"Absolutely not," Regina tells her. "Now, put that down and start chopping sweet pot-"

She's cut off by the ringing of the doorbell. They both frown, their eyes going to the clock. It's just past ten in the morning. Ruby lifts her nose into the air. "It's Granny."

"Already?" Regina hisses. "Dinner isn't for hours."

"Maybe she's just dropping something off?" Ruby suggests with a shrug. "I'll go see."

Regina offers her a tense nod before turning back to her many tasks and Ruby heads into the foyer and opens the door to find her Grandmother, dressed for dinner, and balancing a basket on her hip.

"Hey, Granny," she starts, with an uncertain smile.

The old woman raises an eyebrow. "Is that how you greet your Grandmother on Thanksgiving morning?"

"Oh! Happy Thanksgiving!" Ruby leans in to press a kiss to Granny's cheek and stands aside to let her in. "You, uh, know dinner's not until this afternoon, right?"

"Yes, Ruby, I'm not senile quite yet," Granny says, taking her coat off and handing it to Ruby. "I'm here to help."

"With dinner?" Ruby asks, trailing the older woman to the kitchen.

"No, with planning Regina's next political campaign," Granny responds with a roll of her eyes. "Of course with dinner."

"What about dinner?" Regina asks, looking between the Lucas women.

"Granny came to help you prepare dinner," Ruby says with a bright smile, hoping that this won't cause an issue. Regina and Granny usually get on fine, but with a large meal to prepare and two very dominant personalities in the kitchen...there's a lot of potential for something to go very wrong.

Regina frowns. "Eugenia, while I very much appreciate the gesture, I did say I'd host Thanksgiving dinner this year."

Ruby holds her breath as Granny puts down her basket and rolls up her sleeves. "And you're hosting it," she says, coming to stand by Regina, inspecting her chopped vegetables. "That doesn't mean you have to do the whole damn thing by yourself."

She holds out her hand for the knife Regina is using. Regina looks at Granny, then the knife, then at Ruby, clearly thrown by the offer. Ruby puts on her best puppy eyes, pleading silently with Regina to just let Granny help. She can see the struggle Regina goes through in the tension of her lips and the pulsing of the vein in her forehead as she decides whether or not to admit she needs help. She can also see the second that the decision is made and resignation takes over. Regina holds out the knife handle for Granny to take.

"Thank you," she says, quietly as Granny takes over chopping duties.

"No need to thank me, girl," Granny tells her without looking up. Ruby half expects Regina to explode at the epithet. It's hardly a title for a Mayor or a Queen. But instead, a tiny smile blooms across her face, and it grows further as Granny continues. "It's what family does."

Regina's smile wobbles a little as her lip starts to tremble. Ruby spots this, coupled with the sudden sheen over Regina's eyes.

"Uh, Regina, come show me the thing you wanted me to get from the place you can't reach," Ruby says, taking Regina's elbow and gently guiding her out of the kitchen. The Mayor is now frowning up at her in confusion.

"What thing? What place I can't reach?" Regina asks as they come to a halt in the living room.

"There's no thing," Ruby says with an indulgent smile. "I just thought...you might need a moment, that's all, and I used your tiny stature as an excuse."

Regina opens her mouth, and Ruby knows there's a denial about to come out of it, so she crosses her arms and raises both eyebrows. Regina closes her mouth again and narrows her eyes. "Well...I...just didn't expect it. Coming from your Grandmother, especially. Snow, yes. She's constantly trying to include me in her odd little family. It just took me by surprise."

Wrapping her arms around Regina, Ruby pulls her into a hug and kisses the side of her head. "It took me a little by surprise too," she admits. "A nice surprise."

Granny isn't the type of person to throw words like 'family' around lightly. It was just the two of them for so long in the Enchanted Forest, and then again here in Storybrooke, that letting other people in isn't an easy task for either Lucas. Ruby thinks back to the years she spent under the curse, feeling like she was stuck in a town too small to hold her. Now there's nowhere she'd rather be. She squeezes Regina tightly before loosening her hold so that she can see her face.

"And thank you, for letting her help," she says. "I know we didn't expect her until later, but I don't really like to think of her sitting at home alone."

Regina sighs, lifting a hand to toy with Ruby's necklace. "I suppose you want me to say something sentimental now too?"

"Not at all," Ruby tells her with a wink. "I would never force you to outwardly express an emotion. I know that's painful for you."

Pursing her lips, Regina punches Ruby's shoulder ineffectually. "How dare you. I seem to remember expressing quite a number of emotions, fairly loudly, just this morning."

"I can hear you, you know," Granny's voice carries through from the kitchen and Regina blushes a delightful red, hiding her face in Ruby's shoulder and mumbling something about a soundproofing spell. Ruby throws her head back and laughs. Regina pulls away from her and slaps her backside.

"Get back in the kitchen, wolf," she commands.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ruby says with a cheeky curtsey.

They meet a bleary eyed Henry stumbling down the stairs, still in his pyjamas. He rubs one eye and smiles at his mother. "Hey Mom. Happy Thanksgiving," he mutters, his voice still scratchy with sleep and puberty.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you too," Regina says, pressing a kiss to his forehead. She almost has to stand on her toes to do so. Ruby grabs him and gets him in a headlock, rubbing her knuckle into his head as they walk back to the kitchen, ignoring his protests.

"Ruby!" Granny scolds. "Let the boy go. It's too early to be roughhousing."

She loosens her hold enough to let him escape and he shoves her away. "Yeah, Ruby, listen to your Granny." She sticks her tongue out at him.

"How do you put up with both of them under your roof?" Granny asks as Regina joins her back at the counter. Regina shoots an affectionate glare in Ruby's direction.

"It's a struggle sometimes," she confesses. The lighthearted teasing back and forth continues as Henry pours himself a bowl of cereal and Granny and Regina get back to their preparations. Ruby leans her elbows on the counter and watches them interact, happy enough not to be involved in the actual work of preparing dinner. Working in the diner for so long has really put her off anything to do with food preparation.

It's not so long before the doorbell sounds again. Regina looks up and catches Ruby's eye. "More little helpers?" she asks, casting a sideways glance at Granny and getting a scowl in return.

"Smells like Charmings," Ruby confirms, pushing herself up. "I'll get it." She jogs to the door and throws it open. Mary Margaret is mid-sentence, and Emma looks like she'd rather be anywhere else. Neal is strapped to Emma's front in a baby carrier.

"-ing that you're not getting any younger, Emma, that's all." She turns to grin at Ruby. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

Before she can return the sentiment, she's crushed in Mary Margaret's embrace. Mary Margaret loves Thanksgiving. As she does all holidays. Ruby laughs and pats her back, taking in Emma's pained expression over her friend's shoulder.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you both," she manages once Mary Margaret lets her go and steps back, still grinning.

There's something about that smile that always takes Ruby back to her younger days. To the girl she found in the henhouse, attempting to steal eggs. The runaway princess who became her best friend and closest confidant. Who grew into a woman who Ruby had thought, for a while, might just be the one she would find her home with. Their nights spent in a cabin in the woods seem an age ago now, but Ruby still remembers the flush on Snow's cheeks when they kissed for the first time, huddled together on a pallet, using Ruby's cloak for warmth. She remembers how her own heart thundered in her ears as she touched milky white skin with trembling hands, thinking that maybe it would be different with Snow.

But her hopes were dashed when Prince Charming came along and made his home in Snow's heart. And Ruby had stepped back to the sidelines, happy that her friend had found true love. She was Snow's right hand, her fearsome wolf, her loyal dog. She made do with her place in Snow's home and was content. But a part of her longed for her own great love, her own place in the world.

She smiles at Mary Margaret. "Where are David and Killian?"

Mary Margaret makes a vague hand gesture. "Oh, David's trying to teach Killian the rules of football by showing him videos on the internet so that they can watch the game together later." She rolls her eyes. "He likes having a guy friend, I think. They'll join us later. Emma and I came over to see if we could lend a hand with dinner."

"Go on through," Ruby tells her. "I'm sure Regina will set you to work."

After her mother leaves, Emma heaves a sigh and looks at Ruby with large, hopeful eyes. "You've got booze here, right?"

Ruby laughs and takes one of Neal's tiny hands. "Close your ears, little guy," she whispers. "Your big sister is setting a terrible example." She lifts her eyes to meet Emma's. "But yes. Aunt Ruby will take care of your liquor needs. Any particular reason?"

"My mother is trying to marry me off to Killian," Emma groans. Neal tips his head back to try to see her and she fights a smile. "Stop being cute, kid. I'm trying to whine here."

"Let's go give the tiny human to Henry before we start on the drinking, huh?" Ruby suggests. "You and I can supervise the preparations. Too many cooks and whatnot."

"Has Regina used magic?" Emma asks as they move through to the kitchen.

"Nope," Ruby confirms, popping the 'p'.

"Would you tell me if she had?" Emma pushes.

"Probably not," Ruby admits. "But with your 'superpower', you'd know I was lying, right?" Ruby makes no secret of the fact she doesn't believe in Emma's 'superpower', having lied directly to her face on a number of occasions.

"I'm glad we didn't actually bet anything, then," Emma says, bestowing a smile on Henry. "Hey kid, you look almost awake."

"I was woken in the middle of the night," he grumbles, but he can't stay upset when his eyes land on his uncle. Emma hands off her baby brother while Ruby sneaks away to the living room to find Regina's good Scotch and two glasses.

She pauses in the doorway to the kitchen, taking in the scene before her. Regina and Granny are bickering over the best way to stuff the turkey. Henry is zooming Neal around like he's an airplane, causing the baby to giggle and gurgle. Snow is sitting by Emma, stirring a bowl of something and chatting away happily to her daughter. Her daughter is less happy about it, by the looks of her.

And, just like that, Ruby knows that she's found her place in the world. Ruby's home is a mansion in Maine where she lives with the Evil Queen and Snow White's grandson.

And Ruby's just fine with that.


End file.
